J.J. Goodman: Writings, Musings and More

Little White Sun Dress Jammin' to some Buffett in my truck Workin' too hard just to make a buck Lunch hour's just about done Waitin for five to have a little fun Flip down my visor And what do I find But a worn out picture Bringin thoughts to my mind Her long blonde hair flowin' And trouble in her grin Wasn't any of that Made this boy wanna sin I just smile, 'cause She had mud on her boots And her hair was a mess But she stole my heart With a little white sundress Waitin' on that clock to tick down So my baby and me can skip town And head on down to the beach Vacation time almost in our reach I hear the whistle blow And it's finally five I'm rollin' down the road Just feelin' alive When I pull up in my truck She's waitin' at the gate Tappin' on her watch Sayin' boy you're late And I just smile, 'cause She had mud on her boo

A little something inspired by the Florida Sunshine and country music I heard last week.... Come and Ride with Me Ridin' 'round with the top down Florida sunshine erasin' my frown Zac Brown blaring from the sound bar Knowin' my paradise ain't too far Drivin' down Duval under clear blue skies That's when I spotted her brighter blue eyes Shinin' like diamonds in the Key West sun Pulled that Jeep to the curb knowin' she's the one I yelled out Come on baby come and ride with me Jump on in and you'll see You don't know me yet But I promise you this You and I were meant to be She looked at me with a laugh and a grin Sayin' boy if it's me you wanna win Gonna have to do better than that And that's when I lifted my hat Honey let me tell you I'll sing you a song While we're cruisin' along In no time flat you'll be holdin' my hand Walkin' side b

Far too infrequently we engage in conversation with someone that is genuinely interested in what we have to say. When that happens you almost feel a sense of elation over the fact that someone is actually listening to you.   ( *yawn* what?)   Not funny.   (It was a little funny….)   Ok, fine. It was a little funny. Seriously, though, how wonderful is it to speak to someone and have them look in your eyes to indicate to you they are truly listening? They will offer their own experience, opinion, or question on the topic and then *gasp* you're having an intelligent conversation! Give and take, back and forth, leading to additional topics, things in common, and respected differences. It's a fulfilling moment, that mutual discourse.   (Yes, it is.   Where are you going with this?)   Patience, grasshopper. I'm getting there. Those interactions are great, and comprise a good part of our social interaction. However, most conversations don't follow tha

"Do you love her?"   "How could I love her? I've never met her!"   "Well, then what's your problem?"   It was a question to which he had no answer. He had never met her. Not face to face, anyway. And yet here he was, lamenting the loss of a relationship that never was. He'd been doing that a lot lately, lamenting the "what-if" and "what could have been" in his life. To say he'd hit a rut would be an understatement. Work was crazy, his family was crazier, and as much as he had a strong circle of friends to whom he could turn, most of them couldn't really relate to his position in life anymore. Whether it was jobs or kids or marriages, they'd all taken different paths than the crooked one he'd found himself following.   "I honestly don't know. Why am I so upset about this?"   "You're a dumbass?"   "Why do I talk to you?"   "Because I'm

Ok, for those that know me personally, you know that Mondays and I have a love-hate relationship. And by that I mean Monday loves to occur once a week, every week, the day after Sunday, and I hate it. Getting up sucks, work sucks, inevitably some part of my lunch ends up on my shirt, someone somewhere kicked a puppy, and so on. Frankly, there generally isn't enough caffeine to spur me to action on a Monday morning. (Does someone have a case of the Mondays?) Grrrr. Two demerits, ok one demerit, for that remark. Two for being a smartass, but one gets taken back for quoting one of the best movies ever. Anyway, Mondays suck rocks. Always have, always will. So… (So… what?) So let's take a step back and try to think about some simple satisfactions in life. The little things. The small stuff. (Aren't we not supposed to sweat the small stuff?) I'm talking about different small stuff. I'm referring to the small stuff that happens randomly and makes you

  … to feel the warmth of the setting sun on my face as I close my eyes, while I breathe deeply and let the scent of the sea air invade my senses.   … to write words on these pages with my fingers flowing as freely across the keys as a mountain stream makes its way downward in in the springtime.   … to look into a woman's eyes so intently that my own well with tears of joy.   … to drive in my Jeep with the top down, a warm breeze reminding me of my freedom.   … to sit quietly on my deck sipping coffee, watching the morning fog dissipate into nothingness.   … to read a book and have the prose leap from the pages into my imagination.   … to walk beside the one I love, our hands instinctively finding each other and our fingers intertwining.   … to listen to waves gently caressing the shore, over and over again.   … to turn on some music and settle in to one end of the sofa while my friend does the same at the other end, silently.   … to open the

In darkness I stride My sorrow takes flight Seeking a source of light   When what to my fright Should enter my sight A demon with which I collide   What traveler are thee It asks in my ear Its whisper fills me with fear   It's been many a year Since I've seen thee here Why have you now come to me?   I'm lost, I reply 'Tis not you I seek But strength for when I am weak   It lets out a shriek Such a horrible freak I must turn away my eye   How dare you come now To enter my lair This place of woe and despair   I bid you beware I see everywhere Your departure I'll not allow   And then I am strong So I tell the strange beast It's not on my flesh you'll feast   I will not be ceased No not in the least And I will continue along   Is that what you think? It asked with a grin I will show you your sin   Now come, let's begin For I am your twin And it's your blood I wil